UNSC frigate
Halo Encyclopedia, page 248 |width = |height = |engine = Deuterium nuclear fusion reactor |slipspace drive = Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine |shield gen = None |hull = Titanium-A battleplate |countermeasures = |armament = *Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (1) *Shiva Nuclear Warhead Missiles (1-3)Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 111 *Archer missile pods (40) 30 missiles/pod *Point Defense Gun (12) *Twin Defensive Rail Gun Turrets (5) (in some variants) |complement = *Marines **ODSTs *Albatross dropships *M312 Elephant HRVs *M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicles *Pelican dropships **D77-TC or D77H-TCI *M808B Main Battle Tanks *M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicles **M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle **M831 Troop Transport *AV-14 Attack VTOLs *Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles *Clarion Spy Drones (3) |capacity = |role = Protection of larger fleet ships |affiliation = UNSC Navy }} The UNSC Frigate is a warship classification in the UNSC Navy. Although it significantly lacks the amount of armor, armament, and firepower compared to its larger cousin, the UNSC Destroyer, the frigate is smaller and thus more maneuverable. It is cheaper to produce, allowing greater numbers to be fielded against the Covenant. Background Frigates are as deadly as the comander who pilots the ship. The Frigate is more of a tactical ship than as a "heavy hitter" ship like the UNSC Destroyer. The ship is very agile wich gives it the edge over most Covenant ships although it would need better weapon capabillities to deliver a heavy blow to any Covenant ship. Layout The Bridge of the Frigate is located in the uppermost part of the ship, in the section at the stern-most tip of the MAC gun shaft (in the case of the only seen version of the UNSC frigate, there is another layout variation similar in appearance to the Halcyon-class Cruiser, . The commanding officer's chair is located behind the two primary consoles within the bridge. There are numerous other consoles located at the sides of the room. There are four bridge stations: Navigation, Operations, Weapons, and Communications. A UNSC Frigate also possess 12 SOEIV bays, located in the rear of the ship, which facilitate the deployment of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. UNSC Frigates are capable of hovering in an atmosphere and even landing. They also have either a garage or cargo bay in their rear section which is capable of extending out of the ship's ventral side to deploy vehicles or cargo directly to the ground.Halo 2Halo 3, level The Ark'' The carried three Pelican dropships in this rear section in addition to several ground vehicles. Specifications Dimensions A typical frigate of 2552 appears to be around long, wide and tall. It is one of the smallest warships fielded by the UNSC. Propulsion Like other human ships, the UNSC Frigate is powered by thermonuclear fusion reactors which use deuterium (a stable hydrogen isotope) as fuel. The engines almost certainly use the energy obtained from this process to heat some form of reaction propellant which is expelled out of rear-facing exhausts to generate thrust. There are four exhausts visible on frigates; two large and two small. For translight voyages, the Frigate carries a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine. Although they cannot be seen, it can be safely assumed that frigates also possess multiple maneuvering thrusters to adjust a vessel's attitude in three dimensions. Finally, frigates have several times been observed to hover in an atmosphere. It is possible that they vector thrust downward in order to accomplish this feat, but no downward-pointing exhaust nozzles are visible. It is also possible that they employ some form of Covenant-derived antigravity mechanism, or perhaps electrostatic or magnetic levitation. Armament A typical UNSC frigate carries the following armament: *1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon which is able to fire one round per charge. The MAC runs between one- and two-thirds of a Frigate's total length. *3 Shiva-class Nuclear Missiles serve as heavy ordinance. *40 Archer missile pods which carry around thirty missiles per pod, adding up to a total of 1200 missiles. *12 50mm point defense guns function as the last line of defense against single ships and incoming missiles. Crew No precise figures are available regarding the crew of a frigate, but it is likely relatively small, (less than a hundred would be stationed on a frigate). Like larger ships, a detachment of Marines and sometimes ODSTs would be present onboard. The crew number includes deck crews as well as the command crew, Marines, ODSTs, dropship pilots, and technical personnel. The number of personnel a single frigate is capable of housing numbers at least within the thousands.Halo: First Strike, page ?? In 2552 Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was supposedly able to single-handedly control the frigate to aid SPARTAN John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam on the newly rebuilt Halo, though this was likely performed using an auto-pilot function. An AI can monitor and regulate all critical functions without human intervention. Superstructure The armor of a frigate is relatively poor compared to that of its larger cousins and counterparts such as the destroyer, with only 60cm of Titanium-A battle plate. However, due to its relatively light weight, the frigate's strength lies instead in maneuverability and speed. The frigate's relatively wide design is supported by structural support ribs, allowing it to perform orbital incursions. The Art of Halo 3 Known Frigates Gallery File:InAmberClad-scale.gif|A scale comparison between the UNSC Frigate and miscellaneous objects. File:Frigate size comparison.png|A scale comparison between two UNSC Frigates and the Liberty Island in New York. File:UNSC FRIGATE- HALO LEGENDS(PROTOTYPE).jpg|A UNSC frigate picking up survivors from Algolis. File:ArabiaVostok.png| and being destroyed at the First Battle of Harvest. File:UNSC Longsword and Frigate siz comaprisson.jpg|As shown here, Longsword fighters are not too large to be carried by frigates. File:10203554-Full.jpg|The Archer pods of a typical UNSC Frigate. File:UNSC Frigate HEV drop hatches.jpg|UNSC frigate's HEV SOEIV hatches (along the center). File:DawnBase.jpg|A preview of UNSC Frigate lowering its cargo bay for the insertion of ground forces and vehicles onto the battlefield. File:Mac.jpg|A preview of a UNSC Frigate firing a round from its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. File:In Amber Clad gives chase.jpg|UNSC Frigate In Amber Clad compared to the Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier. File:Reach mpbeta boneyard 02.jpg|A UNSC frigate, the Commonwealth, being taken apart, partially showing the ship's internal structure. File:HaloReach - FrigateWreck.png|A destroyed UNSC Frigate over Reach from announcement trailer. File:HaloReach - Space Battle.jpg|A [[YSS-1000|YSS-1000 "Sabre"-class starfighter]] and the engaging a Covenant corvette over Reach. File:HaloReach - Frigates.jpg|Two UNSC Frigates engaging Covenant ground forces in the Fall of Reach. File:HaloReach - Frigates.png|A close up to the UNSC frigates File:Reach 596390 Medium.jpg|Size comparaison between a UNSC Frigate and a covenant corvette. UNSC Savannah over Reach.jpg|The UNSC Savannah above Reach. List of appearances Sources External *Stephen Loftus's extensive analysis of the UNSC frigate